CHAPTER NINETY-NINE
Summary: Nine years after the war, Hermione's the Head of the Auror Department that specialises in dealing with Magical Creatures and fugitive Death Eaters that are loose in the Muggle World. With the fugitive Death Eaters no longer hiding in Britain, she's tracking rogue Death Eaters in the United States, which leads her to The Winchester brothers. The Witch and The Hunters are a dynamic trio that no creature, being or beast wishes to mess with, Magical or Supernatural. Hermione/Dean pairing. Rated M for a reason.
Disclaimer: I don't own original canon characters or events, just those that I create myself. Everything belongs to J.K Rowling and the creators of Supernatural. I am not making a profit posting this fanfic.
Page count: 20
"I'm confused, who's Chloe?" Sam asked before anyone else could, and frowning when he saw a distressed look cross Hermione's face.
"We have to go," Hermione said, gripping onto the arm rest of the couch and using it to pull herself up and onto her feet.
"Slow down, Sweetheart," Dean said, stopping her from storming off.
"Pack your things, we're leaving, right now."
"Hermione, who's Chloe?" He asked, placing a hand on her stomach, it helping to calm her when the baby kicked.
She took a calming breath and cleared her thoughts. "Chloe, the cheerleader, from when I went undercover in the school."
A grimace pulled at Sam's face at the reminder of cheerleaders and both Harry and Bobby raised curious eyebrows at his reaction.
"The girl you befriended?" Dean said.
"Yes, that Chloe, you don't know but when you left me alone to say goodbye to her, I gave her Harry's number and told her that if she ever needed me she should call the number and I'd find her. Dean, if she's calling after almost two years, it means something's wrong. We need to go and see what it is."
He looked down at her stomach. "Sweetheart, there's less than a month until you're due. We agreed it best to stop hunting for now," he said softly.
"I don't care," she told him. "I made a promise to her, Dean, if she needed me I would be there for her. I don't care how far along I am, I don't care how uncomfortable I'll be, or how long it'll take, I need to go to her. She wouldn't be contacting me if it wasn't important. If I know she needs me and I don't do anything about it, it's going to put me under duress and that's not good for me or the baby. It might even send me into an early labour, which is something I want to avoid. We need to go to her, and I promise, once we know what's wrong, we won't take any more cases and we'll stay home. But please, Dean. We have to go, I need to know why she needs me," she pleaded.
He kept his gaze locked with hers before his eyes fluttered down to her stomach and he sighed in defeat, never being able to deny her anything.
"Alright, we'll go, but at the sign of anything being wrong, you're staying well away."
"Of course," she agreed, both hands resting on her stomach.
"Good," he nodded. "Sammy, pack a bag, it seems we're going on a trip," he instructed.
Sam looked at Hermione just as worried as Dean had, but he nodded and left the room to pack himself the essentials, including making a stop at the armoury, after all, they didn't know what they were walking into and it was always better to be prepared.
"We'll take Lucky," Hermione said.
"That demon-pup is not allowed in my car, Hermione," Dead said.
She rolled her eyes. "It was only once."
"He pee'd on the back seat!"
"I spelled it clean and if you'd have pulled over like I told you to, it wouldn't have happened," she said. When she heard her puppy bounding into the room, she reached down and picked him up when he jumped at her legs.
Harry looked very confused to see Hermione apparently cuddling with thin air, and a collar that was floating.
"What's going on?" He asked confused.
Bobby snorted at the look on his face. He was sure Harry was sporting the same expression he'd done himself, when Hermione had explained about the invisible non-hellhound-pup, that only she could see.
"This is my puppy, Lucky. I found him last month in an alley in Manhattan," she explained.
Harry blinked dumbly. "There's nothing there."
Dean snorted at him. "We've already had this argument," he said. "Unfortunately, only Hermione can see him."
"What, why?"
Hermione shrugged. "Well, Lucky was bred to be a hellhound for the King of Hell, Crowley, but he was cast out for being too kind natured and too unlike a hellhound. So technically, he's a non-hellhound-hellhound, if that makes sense."
"It doesn't," he replied and the two Hunters snorted at him.
"Doesn't matter, all you need to know is I've got an invisible puppy than only I can see due to my Angel side. And thank you for letting me know about Chloe, Harry, I better get some things packed before leaving."
He nodded, and as she walked past him, he handed her the parchment and accidentally brushed the soft fur of the invisible puppy in her arms.
"That's strange," he commented as she walked away.
"Welcome to my life," Dean said, before clapping him on the shoulder as he left the room, too, and followed after his wife, not finding it difficult to catch up to her slow, waddling pace.
~000~000~000~
"Are you absolutely sure about this, Glinda?" Dean asked her as he placed their things into the trunk of the car, ready for leaving.
"Yes, I need to do this."
"It's going to be a long drive, you know that right? Sammy reckons it'll take us about eighteen hours to get there, and that's with good traffic. We'll have to stop to get some sleep, too, and it'll have to be at a motel. The seats aren't good for your health, you're struggling to sleep as it is."
Her face softened at his concern for her. "I know, but I'll get through it, and once we know what's going on and I make sure she's safe, we'll come home and wait for our baby to be born."
"I don't like the thought of putting you at risk."
"I'll be fine, how could I not be? Between you, Sam and Lucky, who's my personal guard dog, I'm very well protected and I know you won't let anything happen to me or the baby. You're a wonderful husband and an even better father."
~000~000~000~
"We're sure this is the right place?" Sam asked, as they all stared up at the large building they knew to house the students on campus.
"I'm sure, this is where I tracked her to, and we both know how good my tracking skills are," she responded. "Anyway, I've managed to get my hands on her schedule, her last lecture ends in fifteen minutes so she'll probably come here before doing anything else."
"If you say so," Dean shrugged.
They all stepped out of the car and approached the building. Hermione easily opened the door, and they stepped into the building. With her wand, she was able to direct them to the correct room which took a while as Hermione had to climb two flights of stairs as the bloody place didn't have a elevator, and she flicked her wand to give them entry.
They stepped into the room, seeing it being rather simple and clean, with two beds on either side of the room, two desks on the back wall filled with stationary, books and laptops and two wardrobes stood at the foot of each bed and against the wall.
Hermione sat herself down on Chloe's bed, knowing it belonged to her from the banner of her old high school that was pinned to the wall, and the brothers both took seats on the chairs at the desks, looking around curiously at the posters and photos that covered each side of the room.
They didn't have to wait long as the door was soon opening and Chloe stepped inside, and she didn't notice them until after she'd closed the door, flung her back pack to the ground and was in the centre of the room.
She came to a sudden stop when she saw the three Winchesters and she blinked slowly as her eyes landed on Hermione's face. It had been nearly two years since Hermione had seen Chloe, and the only changes she could see were that her blonde hair was now cut shorter, resting just below her shoulders and her skin looked more tanned.
"Hermione?" She said quietly in surprise.
Hermione smiled and nodded. "Hello Chloe, I hear you've been trying to get a hold of me."
"Oh My God! I can't believe you're here!" She said happily, bouncing slightly on the spot in her excitement and Hermione laughed at her.
When Dean saw that she was about to stand up, he stood from his own chair and made his way over to her, supporting her and helping her to her feet. Chloe's smile dropped off her face and her eyes fell down to her stomach, widening in surprise.
"You're pregnant!" She exclaimed.
"Yes, nine months along, I've a month left before little Xander's due, we're having a boy," Hermione smiled, gently patting her stomach.
"Hermione, if I'd known I wouldn't have called," Chloe said, shuffling on her feet nervously.
"Well you didn't, you did, and here I am," Hermione shrugged. "I told you, if you needed me I would be here for you, no matter my circumstances," she patted her stomach lightly once more. "Besides, it's given me a chance to look around, see if this is a viable college for my future son," Hermione joked.
Sam snorted. "Stanford's far better, it's got nothing on this."
"Ooooh, that was catty," she said, causing Dean to snort, Chloe to giggle and Sam to scowl. "Ignore him, Sweetie, it's been a long trip. We're supposed to be on a sabbatical until after the baby's born, and he's grumpy I made him pack up unexpectedly."
"I'm really sor..."
"Don't apologise, it's not your fault, he's just being a grumpy sod," Hermione said, before waddling over to her and pulling the younger woman into a hug, feeling her relax against her.
"You remember Dean and Sam," she said, pulling back from Chloe and she nodded to them in greeting. "Excellent, now, what can we help you with?" Hermione asked, moving to sit on the bed once more and Dean sat beside her.
Chloe went over to her desk and dug around in one of the drawers before pulling out a stack of papers.
"Of course I'm never going to forget my experience with a ghost, especially one that wanted to kill me," she said and Hermione chuckled while the brothers snorted. "And I remember you telling me about the strange things that can happen and the cause of them usually being supernatural." Hermione nodded for her to continue. "Well, I started UCLA last year and about a month after strange things started happening, but I just brushed it off, but when I came back after the summer, things hadn't changed."
"Alright, what strange things?" Dean asked her.
Chloe looked to Dean nervously and she bit her lip, so Hermione nodded in encouragement that she answer his question.
"First it was just things that could be explained, flickering lights, power cuts, sudden drops in temperature, but then other things started happening. Rumours spread around campus that a strange man was being spotted watching the sorority girls. But there's always a Peeping Tom around here and security get rids of them. Then there were rumours that some of the students felt like they were being followed, but when they turned around there was no one there. Several girls from the cheerleading team have sworn they'd felt they were being watched in the changing rooms, but there's no evidence, and I haven't experience it myself, so I wouldn't know if it's true or not. But in the middle of the college year, two girls went missing and they were never found. At the end of the year, two more went missing, and they were never found. And this year, one girl's gone missing." She looked over to the empty bed. "My roommate, Kylie. I haven't seen or heard from her since last week, and she's not the kind of person to skip a lecture or to not come home. I'm worried about her, and I don't know if this is in any way supernatural or not, but I thought it best to call you just to be sure. My cousin's due to start here next year and I want to make sure it's safe for her."
"Don't worry about it, Chloe, if it's supernatural we'll take care of it."
"Thank you," she said gratefully, looking as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Like said, I'm not sure if this is your kind of thing, but I've been doing some research and I found a few things that may help."
Hermione smiled at her and gestured for Chloe to hand the papers to Sam, and once he took them, he quickly flicked through the information she'd gathered, his eyes scanning the words.
"Not bad," he admitted, and Chloe flushed at his words. "It seems there's been a few deaths and disappearances on campus over the years, enough to certainly suspect this being supernatural."
"You sure Sammy?" Dean asked.
"I'll have to do a little more digging, maybe pull up the police reports and autopsies of the bodies that were found, and we'll have to do more research on the college itself, but I'd say this definitely falls in the category of strange and unusual," he replied.
"Awesome," Dean sighed before turning his eyes to Hermione.
"I'll stay out of the field," she promised with a nod, already knowing what it was he was going to say. "Well, we'll head out and make a start, and I'll let you know later on if we find anything, alright?"
Chloe nodded and smiled gratefully. Dean helped Hermione to stand and both he and Sam left the room, and before Hermione left she wrote her number down a piece of paper at the desk, and then handed it to Chloe.
"That's my number, if anything else happens, just give me a call and we'll be here as soon as we can."
"Thank you, for coming," Chloe said. "And I can't believe you're pregnant," she smiled, looking down at Hermione's stomach.
Hermione smiled widely. "He's our little miracle, we'd been trying for two years before we discovered I was pregnant," Hermione said. "Anyway, I better go so we can make a start on the investigation."
Hermione hugged Chloe one last time and then left the room, meeting the brothers by the staircase and they had to help her down them, taking a while for them to reach the car.
"Alright, I didn't want to say anything in front of her and worry her, but given what she's found so far, I'd say this is more than likely supernatural," Sam said once they were in the car. "From what I can tell, she's only gone back as far as ten years, but I'm sure we'll find more deaths and disappearances if we took it back further."
"Then we better get a move on, before someone else goes missing," Hermione said.
~000~000~000~
"Alright, UCLA was founded May 23rd, 1919, but the first disappearance on campus wasn't reported until February 17th, 1962. Now, in the last forty-six years a total of twenty-six students have been reported missing, and only a quarter of those were found dead. There are no similarities between those that went missing except for them all being female and between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. They all had different physical appearances, different extracurricular activities and were majoring in different subjects. There's a pattern. It seems four girls go missing over a period of one year, and then it goes quiet, until it happens six to seven years later," Sam explained, as he read off what he'd found from his laptop screen.
"So, given the longevity of this occurring on the campus, and going off what Chloe told us about the lights and temperature drop, what are we thinking? Spirit?" Hermione spoke, lounging on the bed with her back propped up by cushions, and with her feet in Dean's lap as he massaged her aching feet.
"More than likely," Dean agreed. "That girl attracts spirits," he commented and Hermione kicked him in the leg, glaring at him. He just shrugged in reply, not bothering to look apologetic. "So, any idea who we may be looking for, Sammy?"
"Not yet. I'm still going through the history of the college and there's too much to get through, it'll probably take me a few hours," he replied.
"Well, it can wait until the morning," she said, scratching the head of the invisible hell-pup that was curled up in a ball by her side. "It's almost dinner and we all need sleep, it was a long trip."
~000~000~000~
It was'nt long after lunch the next day when Sam had finally finished reading through the history of the campus, and judging by the look on his face, she had the feeling it wasn't good.
"Since its founding, UCLA has had almost one hundred and twenty suicides," Sam said. Dean groaned, tipping his head back to rest against the wall he was leaning against. "Any one of these may be the one responsible, but given the time frame, we're looking for someone that died before 1962."
"That's going to be a lot of records to go through," Dean sighed.
"I know," Sam nodded in agreement. "But we can narrow it down, Chloe said it was a man that's been spotted on the campus. I'll head over to the library and see if they have any articles or reports on suicides around that time."
~000~000~000~
"I don't think it's Hodge," Hermione said, putting the sheet of paper aside and her eyes moving to scan the next article.
"Why not?" Sam asked, sitting at the table and rummaging through his own pile of articles, while Dean sat on the other bed, doing the same.
"Considering it's only women that are being targeted, it's obviously for a reason and Hodges doesn't fit the profile." The brothers looked at her with identical raised eyebrows. "According to the article, there were rumours that Hodge preferred men, and that's why he committed suicide."
They both nodded and turned their attention back to their own stack of research, while Sam crossed the name off the list.
"It's not Moore," Dean said. "This says he killed himself out of grief and guilt, something to do with his parents dying in an accident and he survived. It's got nothing to do with women."
Sam nodded and crossed the name off the list. "Well, it's not Richards either, his death was more accidental than suicidal," he told them, also crossing that name off the list.
"I don't think it's Johnson..." Hermione trailed off, her attention being pulled when she heard her phone ringing.
She frowned, before reaching over to the bedside table to retrieve her beaded bag, apologizing to Lucky when she startled him awake. She pulled the phone from her bag, flipping it open and not recognising the number.
"Hello?" She said, before she heard Chloe's voice come over the speaker.
"Hermione?" She sounded panicked.
Hermione put the papers that were on her lap down on the mattress beside her, swinging her feet over the bed and planting them on the floor.
"Chloe? What's wrong, has something happened?" She asked, noting the way both Dean and Sam looked away from their own papers and to her.
"I'm not sure, I had an early morning practice this morning, I was the last out of the showers and I felt like someone was watching me."
"What?" Hermione whispered.
"I didn't call you because I thought I was just being paranoid, but after lunch I have a lecture and I went back to my dorm to get my books, and I thought I was being followed, but every time I looked behind me there wasn't anyone there."
Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself, bringing her other hand to smooth over her stomach. "Alright, I don't want you to worry, so go about your day as normal and make sure to stick to crowded areas. I'll send Dean and Sam over to check it out. Okay?"
"Okay," she said, her voice sounding a little shakey.
"And if it happens again, call me straight away."
"I will," she promised, before the line went dead, and the brothers looked to her expectantly.
"What are we checking out?" Sam asked.
"Chloe, she said she felt like she was being watched this morning, but given what she knows she thought she was being paranoid, but she's certain she was followed back to her dorm when she went to retrieve her books," Hermione explained.
"If that's the case, the spirit may have chosen her as a possible victim," Sam commented.
"Like I said, she really is a spirit magnet," Dean shrugged, only to be hit with a pillow Hermione had thrown across the room.
"You boys should head over to the campus and see if you can pick up on anything. I'll stay here and go through the rest of the articles, if I find anything I'll let you know."
~000~000~000~
"Anything?" Hermione asked, not looking up from the papers she was still scouring through, having kept being distracted by Lucky who thought she wasn't giving him enough attention.
"There's definitely a presence, but that's all we were able to pick up on," Dean answered, closing the door behind him. "You?"
"I think I've just found the one we're looking for," she said. "Only it's not a student and he didn't commit suicide."
"Now I'm intrigued," Sam said, taking a seat at the table and looking at her expectantly.
"Charles Bedford, he was a Professor of Physics in the early fifties. He died two years before the first student went missing. He was murdered."
"So, we're dealing with a vengeful spirit," Dean said. "Simple enough."
"No, it's not a vengeful spirit," Hermione shook her head.
"Why's that, Sweetheart?"
"He was murdered in his office by the father of a woman that committed suicide after she was raped. It turns out Bedford was a serial rapist and had been for years. It all came out after his murder, and more of his victims came forward since they didn't have to be afraid of him anymore. The majority of the victims weren't students, but there was a few that were. That's why he targets women."
"A violent spirit, awesome," Dean muttered. "And I suppose you're going to tell me he was cremated."
"Actually, he was buried," she shrugged. "But it doesn't say where."
"The Lord does have mercy," he said and Hermione giggled at him. "This may be a lot easier than we thought. Once we find out where he's buried, we'll head over to his grave when it gets dark, the case is over and we can leave."
"I want to see if I can track Chloe's roommate before we go anywhere. If she's dead, I won't be able to get a read on her, but then we'll definitely know she's no longer out there."
~000~000~000~
It had long since grown dark and the brothers had left the motel to head to the burial site of the professor so they could burn the bones and put an end to it. Hermione had just finished changing into her pyjamas and was readying herself bed, when her phone rang.
"Hermione!"
Hermione's attention was pulled instantly by the panic in her voice.
"I think I'm being followed," she whispered, as if not wanting anyone to hear her.
"Where are you?" She questioned.
"I've just left the library and I'm on my way back to my dorm."
"Right, Chloe, listen to me very carefully, I want you to turn around and go back to the library, there's safety in numbers. The boys are currently dealing with things now and it shouldn't be much longer until it's all over. I'm on my way to you now."
"Will you stay on the line with me?"
"Of course," Hermione replied, flicking her wand at the clothing she'd just taken off and she magicked it back onto her body, before she instructed Lucky to stay where he was and she left the motel room.
The motel was by a busy road and she'd managed to flag down a passing taxi quickly, before climbing into the back and giving him her intended destination.
"I'm at the library," Chloe said.
"That's good, I shouldn't be much longer now."
Hermione had Chloe talk to her about mundane things to keep her distracted and when the taxi arrived at the campus, she had the driver wait for her, whilst she got out the car and met Chloe at the half way point.
"Thank God, you're here," Chloe rushed out, hugging Hermione tightly.
"Everything will be fine," Hermione promised. "It may take the boys a little time to do what they doing, but it'll all be over before you know it. For now I'm taking you back to the motel," she said and Chloe gripped her hand tightly as she Hermione pulled her over to the taxi.
As Chloe was about to step into the car, she froze, her eyes staring at a point in the distance. Hermione frowned and followed her gaze, immediately seeing a man staring at them with a dark look on his face. It was evident he was from a different time, given the odd clothing he wore.
Hermione pushed Chloe's frozen form into the car and climbed in after her, and the car set off, Hermione looking behind her and out the window to see the violent spirit still watching them.
"He can't leave campus," she told Chloe softly, and once they were off the premises, Chloe visibly looked relieved.
~000~000~000~
They'd been at the motel for half an hour with Chloe and Hermione laying side by side on one of the beds and staring up at the ceiling in silence. Hermione had entered the room first in order to lock Lucky in the bathroom with a Silencing Charm, not wanting to frighten Chloe anymore than she already had been.
She hadn't spoken in the last half an hour and Hermione didn't plan on forcing her to. Chloe visibly flinched when Hermione's phone rang.
"We're almost finished here, so we'll be back soon," Dean said as a way of greeting.
"Good, Chloe called me earlier and said she was being followed. I got a taxi and picked her up, she's at the motel with me, but I saw him, he was watching us."
"Fuck! I'm glad you both got out safely and we'll back soon."
"Okay, be careful," she said, ending the call and turning her head to look at Chloe.
"They're nearly done now, not much longer and it'll all be over."
Chloe nodded her head and looked to be slightly less afraid, until she turned her head to face the other side of the room and a scream left her. She bolted upright, scrambling back against the headboard, shaking like a leaf.
Hermione startled and she struggled to sit up, but when she did, she knew why Chloe had screamed. The violent spirit was stood in the corner of the room and watching them both with a dark look on his face; promises of pain and death in his eyes.
"You said he couldn't leave campus!" Chloe cried.
He wasn't supposed to be able to, which meant that he'd likely attached himself to something. Just burning the body wouldn't be enough.
"Shite!" She cursed.
Wandless and non-verbally she summoned her gun from her beaded bag, and she aimed it at the slowly advancing man and fired off several rounds. The salt pellets hit the target and bought them some time to get to safety, but how was she going to do that? She couldn't apparate, getting a taxi would take too long, Dean and Sam weren't there. They were stranded.
Hermione climbed off the bed as fast as she could and she grabbed her beaded bag, slipping it into her pocket, before quickly going over to the bathroom, catching Lucky before he bounded out of the room and she cast a Silencio over him. Chloe was too hysterical to notice the strange way Hermione's arms were arranged as if she were carrying something.
"Chloe!" Hermione snapped, her voice pulling the attention of the terrified younger woman. "Come here, and don't freak out by what's about to happen," she said.
Chloe did as she was told and once she was beside her, the man appeared again, a furious look on his face as he quickly approached them.
"Mimsy!" Hermione called, and the little elf appeared before her, quickly reading the situation and without needing to ask, she grabbed Hermione's hand as well as the frozen Chloe's and they popped out of the room, landing in a grave yard a few grave stones down from where Dean and Sam were.
"Hermione, what are you doing here?" Dean asked, all but running over to her and taking in her heavily breathing form, the fact she was clearly carrying Lucky in her arms, and the shaking young woman beside her.
"It didn't work," she breathed out, seeing the flames a little ways down. "He appeared in our motel room. When I shot him he returned not long after. There's an object. I had to call Mimsy to bring us to you."
Sam had appeared beside Dean, a worried but thoughtful look on his face. "If he appeared in the motel room, the object must be something she had with her, which means he'll probably be here soon, too."
They all turned their eyes to Chloe, who was now looking at them all with wide eyes and tears falling down her face, their eyes trailing her form.
"Where did you get that locket?" Hermione asked, noticing the silver necklace Chloe was wearing.
"Kylie gave it to me. After she disappeared I found it in her desk with a note saying she wanted me to have it."
"Take it off," she instructed.
"Why?" Chloe asked, but she did remove the locket and she handed it to Hermione, who then passed it off to Sam.
He was half way to the still burning grave when the violent spirit appeared, but before he could do anything, Sam threw the locket into the fire, flames consumed the spirit and he was dragged down underground.
"A simple salt and burn, that wasn't so simple, but actually turned out to be simple," Dean commented. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
"Hermione, what was that thing?" Chloe asked, referring to Mimsy.
"Nothing for you to worry about, Chloe, just forget you saw her," she told her with a small smile. "Well, as promised, it's all over now and the campus is free of the violent spirit, there shouldn't be any more problems now."
"But what about Kylie?"
"I'm going to do my best to find her, but if she doesn't return by tomorrow then it's not good news," Hermione answered and a sad looked crossed Chloe's face but she nodded, likely expecting the news that she was dead. "We'll make a start on looking for her. Do you think you can find your own way back to campus?"
"Yes," she agreed, wiping away the tears from her cheeks as she calmed herself down. "Thank you for your help."
Hermione smiled at her. "No problem, Chloe, it's our job, but if you don't mind I'd appreciated it you waited until after my baby's born to uncover a supernatural case on a college campus. You keep going the way you are and I'll start believing you're a beacon for spirits wanting to kill you."
Chloe laughed at her. "I hope to never see another ghost again, two in my life time is plenty enough."
"Try hundreds, Peppy," Dean shrugged.
Hermione sent Dean an annoyed look for his nickname for her, then she turned back to Chloe. "We better go, goodbye, Chloe, and stay out of trouble. I have enough to worry about with these three," she gestured to the brothers and then her stomach, "Without having to worry about you, too."
Hermione gave Chloe a quick side hug, before the three Winchesters left Chloe and the grave yard, neither brother bothering to refill the hole they'd just dug up.
It took longer than usual to get to the car, but once Lucky was curled up in a ball on the back seat next to Hermione, they drove back to the motel. Hermione called for Mimsy and thanked her for her help in taking her to Dean, and then she sent her to Chloe's dorm to retrieve a personal item belonging to her roommate.
After changing back into her pyjamas and with Kylie's toothbrush, she sat on the bed and did her best to track the missing teen. Unfortunately, after thirty minutes, Hermione knew it was no use. She couldn't be tracked because she was no longer alive.
Learning this, she cuddled up to Dean and fell into a fitful sleep, thinking of all the women that had been killed and their families that would never get justice.
~000~000~000~
The next day, after eating breakfast The Winchesters set off on their journey home, and it took longer than it usually would with them having to stop frequently for food and so Hermione could use the bathroom.
They'd been on the road all day and it was nearing midnight; the roads were quiet, the sky dark and the occupants of the Impala were each in their own little worlds. Dean was driving, humming along to the radio that was playing quietly in the background. Sam had fallen asleep in the passenger's seat, his head titled against the window and his body slumped in a way that it would hurt when he woke. And Hermione was laid on her back in the back seat, with Lucky curled up by her feet while she read a book, one hand holding the book open and the other smoothing over her stomach.
She shifted uncomfortably, trying to find a position that hurt less but nothing seemed to be helping. Her lower back had been aching for hours and the baby had been especially active that day, knocking her off her feet. She couldn't wait to get home to her own bed, but for the time being she'd have to settle for a motel which they were half an hour out from the nearest one.
Hermione felt pressure on her bladder and she sighed, closing her book and turning her head towards the front of the car, making out Dean's figure in the dark.
"Dean?"
"What's up, Sweetheart?" He replied, momentarily looking over his shoulder to her, before turning his eyes back to the rood.
"I really have to pee."
"The nearest station's two miles out, do you think you can hold it?"
"I'm pregnant and I really have to pee, of course I can't hold it," she scowled at him.
Dean sighed before nodding. "Alright, Glinda, there's a slip road coming up in few minutes, I'll pull off and you'll have to go in the woods."
She grimaced, the situation being less than ideal but they had no other option.
Knowing it would take her a little time to get ready, she put her book beside her and pushed herself until she was sitting up and planting her feet on the floor of the car. She then summoned a warm coat and slipped it on, knowing that it was fairly cold outside, giving they were now almost mid-way through October and autumn had set in.
A few minutes later the car came to a stop and Hermione climbed out of the car with the help of Dean, and she attached a lead to Lucky's collar, so he could do his business, too, and she disappeared into the darkened woods, using her lit wand as a guide.
With a little difficulty she was able to lift the skirt of her dress and she leaned back slightly, bracing herself against the tree behind her ready to empty her bladder, only it didn't happen.
A crippling pain shot through Hermione and she gasped, doubling over on herself and catching herself on a second tree. Lucky appeared beside her, barking loudly and she didn't understand why until she felt it. Her waters breaking.
"DEAN! DEAN!" Hermione screamed.
Frantic footsteps and leaves and twigs breaking under a heavy weight were heard before Dean came rushing to her.
"What is it?" He asked quickly, his eyes scanning their surroundings and his gun held in his hand.
"My waters just broke," she whispered.
"What!"
"My waters just broke, the baby's coming!" She said, panic and fright in her tone.
"Shit!" Dean cursed, "You have bad timing, Sweetheart. We have to get you out of here," he said, supporting her weight and helping her to walk back towards the car, but they'd only managed a few steps when Hermione almost collapsed as another pain shot through her, making her cry out.
"I can't do it, Dean," she cried.
"Fuck! Cas! Cas!" He called, looking up at the sky expectantly, but his call wasn't answered and Dean growled in annoyance. "Damn it, where the hell is he when you need him!" He spat. "SAMMY! SAMMY!" He yelled frantically, his voice carrying in the quiet of the woods.
A few moments later a car door slammed, fast footfalls were heard and Sam appeared in front of them, his gun in his hand and a worried look on his face.
"What's wrong?" He asked confused.
"Her waters have just broke."
"Excuse me?" He spluttered.
"The baby's coming!" Hermione snapped.
"Shit!" Sam cursed, putting his gun back in the waist band of his jeans and rushing to Hermione's side.
"She can't make it to the car and Cas isn't answering," Dean said, using his foot to brush the leaves and twigs away from the ground, making it as soft as possible and Sam caught on to what he was doing, before they both helped Hermione to sit herself on the ground, her back leaning against a tree.
"What are we going to? The nearest hospital isn't for miles, we'll never make it," Sam asked.
Dean ran a hand through his hair in frustration, his heart aching at the sight of his crying and frightened wife.
"You'll have it to do it," Dean said.
"I don't think so," Sam spluttered. "I'm not going anywhere near there. I'm already scarred for life after the things I've witnessed and heard between you, I can't deliver my sister's baby."
"Well I can't do it!" Dean shot back. "I have no idea what to do and I don't want to risk making the situation worse when I can't concentrate on anything other than my worry for Hermione."
"Boys! I'm a having a baby here!" Hermione called, drawing their attention and they both gave her apologetic looks and crouched down beside her, Dean reaching over to push her hair back from her face.
"We have to do something," Sam said.
"I suppose I'll have to do it," a voice spoke up. They all turned to see the King of Hell leaning against a tree casually, with his hands in his trouser pockets.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Sam asked with narrowed eyes and noting the way Dean seemed to stiffen, fear flashed across his face and he gripped his gun in his hand tightly.
"Saving the day, obviously," Crowley rolled his eyes. "That Angel of yours obviously isn't coming, so I thought I'd step in and take his place. Neither of you know what you're doing."
"And you do?"
Crowley shrugged. "I've may have delivered a baby or two in my time."
"You're not getting anywhere near her!" Dean growled, still crouched beside a crying Hermione with a murderous glare held on Crowley and a gun pointed in his direction, while Sam was still on her other side, trying to calm her, his eyes darting between Crowley and his brother.
"Dean, as much as I hate to say it, we need his help. Cas isn't answering our calls and we don't have time to get Hermione to a hospital. She's going to deliver the baby here," Sam spoke, trying to reason with his brother.
He did understand Dean's reasons, after all, they'd all witnessed what his greatest fear was. Crowley killing everyone he loved and stealing his baby, and the situation they were in was much too close to Crowley possibly taking the baby once he was born. He wasn't sure what would happen if Crowley went against the contract, but Sam wasn't sure if Crowley would be too tempted to steal a child that was undoubtedly going to be born like his mother, to actually care about the consequences.
"The contract will prevent him from doing anything that goes against it," he said, hoping for Dean to understand. Neither of them were happy about the situation, but there wasn't anything they could do about it. "I know you're scared for Hermione and the baby, but you need to think about what they need, and they need help."
"He's right Dean," Hermione spoke, doing some strange breathing exercise to help her through the pain of contractions. "He won't do anything, in labour or not, I'll kill him. But please, someone just do something, it bloody hurts!"
Dean looked scared, worried and conflicted, and he turned his eyes to Crowley. "I swear, if you do anything to my wife or baby, I'll kill you."
The King of Hell rolled his eyes. "That threat's getting old, but don't worry, Love, I have no intentions of doing anything other than helping the little She-devil deliver your spawn."
"Say that about my baby again, I dare you!" Hermione snapped, her eyes narrowed murderously. "And you're not the one doing anything, I'm the one in labour, I'm the one in pain, not you!"
"Calm down," he rolled his eyes.
"Say that to me again and I'll rip your tongue from your mouth and beat you with it!" She growled and that tapered off into a cry of pain.
"I do so love your threats, Spitfire," he chuckled, before he removed his coat and rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to elbows. "Right, Sunshine, get behind her and support her weight," he instructed Dean.
Dean glared at him but he did as told, sliding himself between the tree and Hermione, allowing her to lean back against his chest and her hand automatically found his, gripping tightly. He winced but didn't complain, knowing she was the one that was in pain and she would be delivering their baby in the middle of the woods and without pain relief, too.
"I need a blanket or towel, something to wrap the baby in, and some scissors or a knife," Crowley said, looking to Sam pointedly.
Sam nodded in response and disappeared from their sides for a moment, returning with Hermione's beaded bag in his hand. He dug around inside, pulling out a towel and a throw blanket he often used when in the car.
Crowley raised an eyebrow at the display but didn't comment, as he took the towel and with a little manoeuvring, was able to slip it under Hermione so she wasn't sat on the cold ground. Sam removed a pocket knife from his back jean pocket and handed that to Crowley.
"I need water too, preferably hot."
Sam looked to Hermione with a slight frown on his face, silently asking if she was up to the task.
"I can do it," she panted out, her hand fumbling for her fallen wand that was still emitting a beam of light.
"Lumos Solem," she muttered, a ball of light shooting from the tip of her wand and hovering above them, better lighting the area. Sam removed a bowl from her beaded bag and it took Hermione a moment to focus as another contraction hit her, but she was able to fill it with water and heat it up. "There, now do your bloody job!" She breathed out, dropping her wand to the ground and leaning back into Dean.
"You're very bossy," Crowley replied, tipping some of the water over his hands to wash them the best he could, before reaching for the skirt of her dress and pushing it up.
~000~000~000~
Hermione was tired, sweaty and crying, as she stared down at her son cradled in her arms and wrapped up in a blanket.
"I'm so proud of you," Dean muttered into her ear, placing a kiss to her cheek and holding her against him gently. "I had no doubt you could do it."
She looked up at him and smiled tiredly and he placed a kiss to her forehead, moving his eyes back to his son.
"He looks like you," she said, spying the head of light brown hair and his green coloured eyes. Hermione got the feeling Xander would be a double of his father when he got older; she couldn't see any of herself in him.
"You're welcome, by the way," Crowley spoke, leaning against a tree off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Thank you," Hermione said, turning her eyes to look at him briefly before they returned to the little bundle in her arms. "Now go away."
"Charming," he scoffed. "I deliver your spawn and this is the thanks I get," he said, before he disappeared from view when Hermione reached for her wand.
"Good riddance," Dean muttered.
"Question?" Sam said. "Why didn't you just call for Mimsy?" Sam asked with a confused frown.
Both Dean and Hermione stilled in their cooing of their baby and slowly lifted their heads, looking to Sam with glares on their faces.
"Because I was in bloody labour and giving birth to my baby, I was too busy worrying and trying not pass out from the pain and delivering my baby to even think of such a thing," Hermione glared at him, before turning her eyes to her husband. "Why didn't you think of that?"
"I was too busy worrying about you and trying to keep you calm, I completely forgot about the house-elves," he replied, and they both turned to look at Sam, who took a step back at the glares on their faces. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I've only just thought of it," he said sheepishly.
Hermione scowled at him, before her attention was pulled back to her son cradled in her arms, and a loving smile pulled at her mouth.
"We should get you both to a hospital," Dean said, resting his chin on her shoulder and looking down at their son, his hand coming up to pull the blanket up and around his little frame tighter to protect him from the cold. "He's still three weeks early and I want to make sure you're both alright."
Hermione nodded, her eyes still on her son. "A magical hospital's best. If we can get home, one of the house-elves will get us a healer and bring them to the house to check us both over. If it's required, we'll be admitted to the hospital, if not, we can stay home."
"Mimsy," Dean called.
The little elf appeared before them, her eyes widening comically and a loud gasp falling from her lips, her hands coming up to her mouth and she rocked on her feet as tears welled in her eyes.
"Mistress had Young Master," she cried tears of joy and she and Dean laughed at her softly.
"Mimsy, we need to see a healer, can you take us home and fetch one from St. Helga's please?" Hermione said, sounding tired but happy.
"Of course, Mistress," she replied, moving closer to Hermione and Dean, placing her hands on their shoulders and looking to Sam. "Mimsy be back for Mr. Sam," she said, before she disappeared from sight, leaving behind Sam, Lucky and the Impala.
~000~000~000~
They landed in their bedroom in their house, Hermione carefully being placed on the bed with Xander in her arms and Dean stood beside the bed.
"Mimsy get Mr. Sam and a healer," the little elf said, before leaving once more.
Dean moved so he was perched on the bed beside Hermione and he smiled down at her lovingly, reaching over to push her hair back from her face.
"I've never been so in awe of you," he muttered softly and she smiled at him, leaning her face into his touch when his fingers brushed her cheek.
"Would like you to hold your son, Mr. Winchester?" She asked him.
A dazzling smile appeared on his face and he nodded instantly. He moved closer to her and Hermione carefully put their wriggling son into his arms.
"Hey, Xander," he mumbled quietly, softly. "I'm your daddy," he muttered, placing a kiss to their son's forehead. Happy tears welled up in Hermione's eyes and spilled from the corners and fell down her cheeks.
A few minutes later, a grumpy looking healer arrived, being dragged behind an angry looking Mimsy; Hermione guessed she'd abducted the middle aged woman without explanation. When the healer caught sight of Hermione's tired and dirty appearance, Dean and the baby, she put the pieces together, stopped demanding she be released and she rushed forward. If she recognised Hermione for who she was, the healer didn't mention it and Hermione was grateful for it.
Hermione tiredly explained what had happened and it took a few minutes for the healer to coax Dean to hand over their son, but Hermione had placed a hand on his arm and nodded at him to do so. Reluctantly Dean relinquished his hold and gave Xander to the healer, who ran a series of tests over him.
Half an hour later, both Hermione and Xander were given a clean bill of health and the healer left, with promises that she wouldn't tell anyone about Hermione or her secret baby; it seems she did know who she was after all.
Dean perched himself back on the bed, sitting beside Hermione and pulling her against his side as she held their son again.
"I'm happy you're both alright, you gave me a scare, Glinda."
"I have to keep you on your toes," she replied, resting her head against his shoulder and smiling when Xander gave a little yawn.
A knock on the door drew their attention and the door opened to reveal Sam, who entered and walked over to the bed.
"We're both completely fine," Hermione smiled at him and a look of relief washed over his face. "Do you want to hold your nephew?"
"Thought you'd never ask," he grinned, quickly sitting on her other side and happily taking the little bundle in his arms. "He's so tiny," he said fondly, a smile pulling at his mouth.
"He didn't bloody feel it," Hermione muttered and Dean snorted at her, so she elbowed him in the side.
"Just you wait, he's going to be kicking your ass when he gets older," Dean said smugly.
"What's with all this God Forsaken noise!" They heard Bobby grouch and his footsteps thudded against the stairs above them.
"Probably fell asleep in the library again," Sam said to Hermione and Dean, given that it was nearing three in the morning and Bobby wasn't at his cottage.
"Those elves are driving me nuts with the rushing about they're doing!" Bobby said gruffly, his footsteps growing closer. "What the hell's got them so on edge?" He demanded to know, but the moment he stepped through the open door and into the room, his eyes widened and he stumbled in surprise at the sight that met him; Hermione and Dean snuggled together on the bed, and Sam beside Hermione, cradling a little bundle in his arms.
"What the hell?" He muttered, his eyes darting between them and he slowly approached them, coming to a stop at the foot of the bed, his eyes latching onto the wriggling newborn held by his Uncle.
"I went into labour on the way back," Hermione offered. "Castiel didn't answer our calls and Crowley turned up, delivered the baby and left when I reached for my wand after his unappreciated comment about my baby. Mimsy brought us home, got me a healer and we're both fine," she smiled. Bobby blinked slowly, processing what she'd said about the King of Hell delivering her baby. "So, Bobby, do you want to meet your Grandson?"
In his shocked state, he managed to nod his head and the brothers laughed at him as Sam stood and handed Xander over to Bobby, who sat himself on the foot of the bed, staring down at the little bundle in his arms with the softest expression any of them had ever seen. With that look, they knew he was going to be a pushover when it came to the children.
"Bobby, this is Evander Robert Winchester," Dean said, a smile pulling at his mouth at the way Bobby spluttered.
"Surprise," Hermione said sheepishly. They'd been purposely keeping his name a secret from Bobby, wanting it to be a surprise.
She smiled when he turned his eyes back to Xander and began muttering to him so quietly and softly, they couldn't hear him or what he was saying to his Grandson, but to Hermione it didn't matter.
Dean hugged her closer to him and placed a kiss to her forehead, his eyes watching his son being held by his surrogate father.
Their family was safe.
Their family was growing.
And their family was stronger than ever.
The supernatural didn't stand a chance against The Winchesters.